Daniel 1 דניאל א׳

In the third year of [the rebellion of] the kingdom of Judah [(against Nevuchadnezzar), viz. II Kings 24:1], Nevuchadnezzar king of Bavel came to Jerusalem, and he besieged it.

And the L-rd delivered into his hand Yehoyakim king of Judah and some of the vessels of the house of G-d, and he brought them [(the captives and the vessels)] to the land of Shinar to the house of his god [(in celebration of his victory)], and the vessels he [afterwards] brought to the treasure house of his god.

And the king told Ashpenaz, the chief of his eunuchs, to bring forth from the children of Israel and from the seed of the kingdom and from the nobles,

boys without any blemish, and of goodly appearance, and acquainted with all wisdom, and possessing understanding and insight, and having the strength in them to attend [deferentially] in the palace of the king and to be taught the script and the speech of the Kasdim.

And the king provided for them daily from the pathbag [(the food)] of the king, and from the wine that he drank, to be reared [on this regimen] for three years, [after which] some would [be selected to] pay attendance upon the king.

And there were of them of the sons of Judah — Daniel, Chananiah, Mishael, and Azaryah.

And the chief of the eunuchs gave them names. He called Daniel "Belshazzar"; Chananiah, "Shadrach"; Mishael, "Meshach," and Azaryah, "Aved-nego."

And Daniel resolved that he would not sully himself with the pathbag of the king and the wine that he drank. And he besought the chief of the eunuchs that he not [be compelled to] sully himself.

And G-d rendered Daniel the object of lovingkindness and mercy before the chief of the eunuchs.

And the chief of the eunuchs said to Daniel: I fear my master, the king, who has provided your food and your drink. Why should he see your faces more haggard than (those of) the (other) boys of your age, whereby you would render my head [i.e., my life] liable to the king.

And Daniel said to the steward whom the chief of the eunuchs had appointed over Daniel, Chananiah, Mishael, and Azaryah:

Try, I pray you, your servants, for ten days, and let them give us legumes to eat and water to drink.

And let there be seen [and compared] before you our appearance and the appearance of the children that eat of the pathbag of the king, and, according to what you see, do with your servants.

And he listened to them in this thing, and he tried them for ten days.

And, at the end of ten days, their appearance looked better and fuller fleshed than (that of) all of the boys who had eaten the pathbag of the king.

And the steward took their pathbag and their wine to drink [for himself] and gave them legumes.

And these boys, the four of them, were given understanding and knowledge of all writing and wisdom by G-d, and Daniel understood all visions and dreams.

And at the end of the days that the king had said to bring them [before him], the chief of the eunuchs brought them before Nevuchadnezzar.

And the king spoke with them, and there were not found in all of them [(the other boys)] the likes of Daniel, Chananiah, Mishael, and Azaryah. And they stood [in attendance] before the king.

And anything requiring the wisdom of understanding which the king asked of them, he found in them ten times as much as in all the bone-conjurers and astrologers in all of his kingdom.

And Daniel was [i.e., he officiated in grandeur in Bavel] until the first year of King Koresh.